So, it appears that the Democratic primary is
narrowing quickly to a two-candidate race between Sanders and Biden. It will be
interesting to see how far left the Democrats may want to move, or how tired they
may be of the drama of the last few years and just want to return to a calmer
political tableau.

As we wait for some indication of the answer to this question, it seems an appropriate time to give one last time my lecture regarding democratic socialism, the actual meaning of which the electorate seems so embarrassingly ignorant, and to add some perspective to the Sanders candidacy.

With only one bizarre exception of which I am aware,
no country’s economic system is totally capitalist or totally socialist. They
are a mixture of the two. Only a moment’s thought reveals this.

We may think of the world’s economic systems running
along a spectrum, from more capitalist and less socialist to more socialist and
less capitalist, but with no country actually touching either end of the
spectrum, except North Korea, which is actually an authoritarian communist
dictatorship, even Cuba.

(Idle thought: why have made peace with Japan after it
bombed Pearl Harbor and even Vietnam after it killed 58,000 of our military,
and not Cuba or Iran? It’s a rhetorical question. I know the answer. I just
can’t respect the illogic of it.)

Some economies will lean more socialist, some more
capitalist, with any number of commutations and permutations in between. So,
when we abhor socialism out of hand, remember that America is somewhat
socialist. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. are socialist programs,
bigger than Dallas. What we are really debating is what distribution between
the two systems we want to have.

Obviously, Bernie Sanders envisions a distribution
more socialist and less capitalist than what we have now. And this is where the
term “democratic socialism” comes into play. To his credit, Bernie wants the
distribution to be determined democratically, not imposed. Responsible countries
do, and it’s a very important distinction.

Full disclosure: I am on the left edge of the
spectrum, near Bernie. I don’t agree with all his points precisely, but I
believe he has identified important areas where more socialist policies are
needed: Education, economic inequality, political inequality and the corruptive
influence of money in politics (read plutocracy).

Further disclosure: I am actually way farther to the
left on the spectrum than Bernie. I would add at least one important topic to
the mix of issues needing more socialism: Food. It is a sin, a scandal
and a crime that some people in this country do not all have enough to eat.
There is simply no excuse for it, except, well, too much capitalism.

And, of course, I am on the other side of the planet
from Bernie on gun control.

So, how does this understanding inform my voting
choice? Very little. I am going to vote for which ever candidate polls better
against Trump. Getting that bloated, corrupt, pig part of a presidential prick
out of the office is all I care about. Thus ends the lecture.